Keep up with the glitzy awards world with our weekly Awards Roundup column.

Keep up with the glitzy awards world with our weekly Awards Roundup column.

– Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chairman of DreamWorks New Media, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 54th Annual International Cinematographers Guild (ICG, IATSE Local 600) Publicists Awards Luncheon to be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 24, 2017.

In making the announcement, Henri Bollinger, chairman of the Publicists Luncheon Awards Committee, commented, “From the outset of his career, Jeffrey has demonstrated an ability to incorporate the essence of entertainment into a wide spectrum of projects. This has led to an unprecedented track record which continues to evolve with each passing year.”

ICG national president Steven Poster ASC added, ”Jeffrey Katzenberg is one of the giants of our industry, a man who has brought us some of the greatest films of our generation, be they live action or animation.”

”I am thrilled and honored by this recognition,” Katzenberg said of the honor. “It’s wonderful to be involved in an event that appreciates that the promotion for a film is often as creative, entertaining and engaging as the film itself. Publicists are the unsung heroes of our business, and Ive gotten to work with so many great ones, which makes this award that much more meaningful to me.”

Jimmy Fallon will host the ceremony, airing on Sunday, January 8, 2017 the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

“Hidden Figures”

– The San Francisco Film Society has announced that Theodore Melfi’s “Hidden Figures” is the 2016 recipient of the Sloan Science in Cinema Prize, celebrating the depiction of science in a narrative feature film. Presented in partnership between the Film Society and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, this annual award carries a $25,000 cash prize and shines a light on special achievement in rendering the worlds of science and scientists through the language of film with a screening event and onstage conversation with the film’s creators.

The Film Society and the Sloan Foundation presented the award on Saturday, December 17 at the Castro Theatre, at an event exclusively for Film Society members and invited guests from the Bay Area science, technology and education communities. Following a screening of the film, director Theodore Melfi, star Octavia Spencer, and Tracy Drain, Systems Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, participated in an in-depth discussion of the science behind the story and its journey to the big screen.

“When we originally conceived of this prize, it was to draw attention to the inspirational quality of creative depictions of science on screen, and no film this year has done that better than ‘Hidden Figures,’” said SF Film Society Executive Director Noah Cowan. “This film tells an important real story behind a landmark human achievement, and brings welcome attention to the group of underappreciated geniuses that made it happen. It does so with incredible heart, anchored by amazing performances from this remarkable cast.”

The Sloan Science in Cinema Prize is presented annually in the fall to a finished film released in that year. Focusing on dramatic and entertaining films that illuminate the relevance of science and technology to our daily lives or challenge existing stereotypes about scientists, engineers or mathematicians, the Film Society and Sloan Foundation seek to spotlight an important new film and provide a platform to celebrate science during the end-of-year awards season.

This annual prize is a part of the Film Society’s Sloan Science in Cinema initiative, which is designed to develop and present new feature films and episodic content that portray fully-drawn scientist and technologist characters; immerse audiences in the challenges and rewards of scientific discovery; and sharpen public awareness of the intersection of science, technology and our daily lives.

– The 7th Annual Queens World Film Festival (QWFF) returns to the Museum of the Moving Image and other venues with over 130 of the world’s newest, most compelling, challenging, shocking, graceful, bountiful indie films from 25 nations, taking place March 14 – 19, 2017.

On opening night (March 14) at the Museum of the Moving Image Festival Directors Katha Cato and Don Cato will present Queens, NY native, Filmmaker Julie Dash with the 2017 Spirit of Queens Award. Dash’s masterpiece “Daughters of the Dust,” the first American feature by an African American woman to receive a general theatrical release was named to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2004.

Later in the festival, QWFF will also screen Ms. Dash’s remarkable short film “Illusions” that takes place in Hollywood during WWII and tells the story of a female studio executive passing for white.

“Daughters of the Dust”

Kino International

– Award-winning producer, writer and director J.J. Abrams has been selected by the Board of Directors of American Cinema Editors (ACE) to be honored with the organization’s prestigious ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award. The award will be presented at the 67th annual ACE Eddie Awards on Friday, January 27, 2017 in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

“J.J. Abrams is a once-in-a-generation artist who has been making his mark in cinema and television for over twenty years,” stated the ACE Board of Directors. “Through his production company, Bad Robot, J.J. has engaged and delighted audiences around the world with his innovative brand of storytelling. Whether he’s reinventing a beloved franchise or creating something entirely new and groundbreaking — be it ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Westworld,’ ‘Lost,’ ‘Alias’ and many others — his name is synonymous with nothing less than spectacular entertainment. He is one of the most exciting voices working in our industry, and we’re thrilled to celebrate his body of work thus far.”

– The American Short Film Awards, a group of independent festival programmers who throughout the year work at various film festivals, have announced their 2016 winners. You can find out more here. The full list is below.

Best Short Film: “Twinsburg”
Best Drama: “The Mother”
Best Comedy: “How to Survive a Breakup”
Best Horror: “Vicious”
Best Animation: “Schiroka”
Best Documentary: “A System of Justice”
Best Experimental: “Enter the Cowboy”
Best Ultra short: “A Dog Named Rex”